As you can probably imagine, I'm a sucker for farmer's markets. Even (or, perhaps, especially) when I'm in another country, miles from my kitchen, I love wandering through the rolls of stalls, admiring the ripe, colorful produce and imagining what dishes I'd concoct with them. And Atlanta happens to have what is supposedly one of the country's biggest farmer's markets-the Georgia State Farmer's Market. I'd been wanting to go since I moved here last year, and this past weekend, we finally decided to take the trip. Open every day and boasting 150 acres of purveyors, it sounds like one of those places that chefs go to at dawn to pick out the ripest produce, haggling over produce prices and quality with the farmers who grew it. I imagined it must be like the Hunt's Point Market in New York, a place I always regret never having visited while I lived there.

I'd like to be able to tell you about all of the wonderful organic produce we scored, trucked from nearby farms by happy, independent farmers striving to preserve greater Atlanta from suburban sprawl. But alas, it didn't exactly meet my expectations.

I don't know, maybe we got there too late (9:30 AM). It's the type of place that is probably most bustling before the sun even rises, so it wasn't too crowded. Unfortunately, it also seemed pretty empty vendor-wise as well. According to the Georgia Department of Agriculture the market is primarily a wholesale distribution hub for food purveyors in the Southeast and the entire Eastern Seaboard. There is, however, a retail component, which is what we explored.

My first disappointment: I did not locate a single vendor that carried organic produce. Perhaps they only come during the week, or it's too early in the season for them? One vendor invited me to sample a fruit that I was eyeing curiously, resembling a miniature plum, and it had such a toxic, bitter taste to it that I had to spit it out. Pesticides? Who knows--I wasn't going to take a chance.

My second disappointment was that although there was a "Georgia Grown" section, it was pretty much vacant, save for the occasional crate of peaches, Vidalia onions and early tomatoes (and boiled peanuts-which we bought for the ride home, natch). Much of the available produce seemed to hail from Mexico or California, which meant it had logged some serious food miles that I was loath to support.

Nonetheless, I was on a mission: dinner. Sure, the food had come quite a distance, but wasn't I cutting out a little bit of the energy-guzzling middleman by buying it here, rather than at my local Publix? Besides, the prices were unreal! At one vendor, I bought two jalapeños peppers, three poblano peppers, three limes and a pound of tomatillos. The grand total? $3. For another $2.50, I scored two avocados (perfectly ripe!), a bag of corn tortillas made at a local factory, and three prickly pear fruits which I still have absolutely no clue with what to do (ideas, anyone?).

The market was winding down (it ends at noon), and I spied some plump radishes - by now, I'd formuated dinner plans and was rounding up all the ingredients to make fish tacos with tomatillo salsa (the recipe for which I'm sharing with you) and all the toppings. Radishes, thinly sliced, add a nice crispness to fish tacos. How much for the bunch? I asked. They were 50 cents, but the guy didn't have change for my dollar. I cast my eyes around his stall and finally settled on some greens that looked a bit like watercress. They might be good on the tacos, and they, too, were 50 cents. Problem solved!

Our produce might have come from Mexico instead of Macon, GA, and no, it wasn't organic. But I hope I redeemed and re-greened myself somewhat by heading to Whole Foods for some environmentally responsible tilapia and some organic, vegetarian refried beans. Combined with my farmer's market scores, I ended up with a delicious, wholesome supper, with enough salsa left over for brunch the next morning.

Still, when it comes to farmer's markets, in the future I'll probably stick to the disappointingly small weekly one in my neighborhood, with its overpriced--but local, mostly organic, and independent-farmer--veggies and fruit.



In My Kitchen
Every week, I tally my grocery bill, and give you a peek at what's on the dinner table at our house.

Groceries: $107.12
(A little higher than normal this week because of the special tagliatelle dinner, a celebration for my sister-in-law getting her MFA.)

Meals Prepared:

• Spinach Calzones
• Quinoa-Stuffed Poblano Peppers with crusty bread
• Fish Tacos with Grilled Tomatillo Salsa and refried beans
• Homemade tagliatelle with peas, asparagus and wild mushrooms and truffle oil, stuffed squash blossoms

 

Photo by Joseph Harlan.